Nottinghamshire

Bardi
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

There is something about Ange Postecoglou that is intoxicating.

He will talk to everyone, but it feels like he is talking just to you. His ability to capture the mood, feed off the energy in the room and read the situation will make you all fall in love. It will be an instant attraction, a holiday romance. He will say the right things, he will put you, attacking football and the love for the game first.

Players will feed into his ambition to play football the right way. They will feel released from the shackles of whatever tactical rigidity there was before and suddenly they' are kids again, free to cut inside, push high and "play, play, play."

At Spurs our honeymoon period was glorious. We sang his name, we called everyone "mate" and we enjoyed football being played the right way. But as with everything in life, you need to adjust to the holiday ending.

The weather turns and you find yourself freezing cold and wet - the beach is a distant memory. The ideas that swept you off your feet are gone. You are back in reality.

At Spurs, it was injuries and a lack of investment in key areas that brought about Ange's downfall. He went into every game with the ambition to win, but the team was not fit for purpose. He failed to adapt and roll with the blows, which to be fair to him were numerous.

Towards the end he did manage to recapture a semblance of that summer romance.

Spurs trundled their way to Bilbao and on the Iberian peninsula he delivered the greatest night we have had for a generation. We fell back in love with the man who puts family, football and expressing your love for the game first.

But then we got back home and reality came back and we deleted him from our contacts.

Ange is capable of delivering moments of sheer ecstasy and he can sweep you up in the way he talks, but unless he's learned how to adapt, change and work with what he has, the romance at Forest may be even shorter than our fling with the Aussie.

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Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the arrival or four new members of new boss Ange Postecoglou's coaching team.

Former Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak - who captained Australia under Postecoglou as a player and worked with him as a coach at Tottenham - has been named assistant coach.

Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo arrive as assistants, having worked under Postecoglou at Spurs and Central Coast Mariners.

Rob Burch was Postecoglou's goalkeeping coach at Spurs and will assume the same role at Forest.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have wasted no time in getting head coach Ange Postecoglou through the doors of the City Ground.

At present, our poll suggests 68% of you don't think Postecoglou is the right man for the Reds, so we asked for your views on his appointment and on how he can win the fanbase over.

Here are some of your replies:

Fosi: Sir, you have lost the plot. Ange is a total waste of time - he has no idea on systems or defending so Championship here we come. Please book your spot to have your head tested. This is stupidity at its worst! This is the biggest backwards step in managers since Marinakis took over. I can see our good players leaving. What a total mess!

Owain: Look, we all know that if 'The Boss' isn't happy he will change it. Nuno wasn't everyone's first choice to replace Steve Cooper, but he did an absolutely amazing job. He has gone now so we must all rally around the new boss - even if he has been at two clubs previously that I can't stand. He needs to know he has the fans' backing and the team need to know they are still the same team as before, just under new directions. The Tricky Trees stand tall and strong.

Bob: I look forward to the Forest players picking up lots of injuries with the aggressive high press that Ange will play...

Mike: We needed to change. We have got some good ball players and the signings made in this summer transfer window are just made for him. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say.

Dave: I can reel off several managers I'd rather have had, Nuno included, but it doesn't matter now. This stinks of the mid-90s implosion to me. I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but my gut is saying we will be going from Betis to Barnsley in short order.

• Not a Forest fan? Find and follow your club here

Another special episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football has dropped, with more reaction to the eventful 24 hours at Nottingham Forest.

David Jackson and Colin Fray discuss the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo and the rapid breakdown behind the scenes.

Plus, commentator Simon Hill gives insight on what to expect from new Forest boss, Ange Postecoglou.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

"I love the joy goals bring," said Ange Postecoglou in 2023. "I still think [scoring goals is] the best part of football, it goes beyond winning.

"Sometimes you can win and not really enjoy a game, but never do you not enjoy a goal."

Postecoglou's sides are set up to win, but they are also designed to entertain and score goals.

To date, his 645 games in top-flight club management have produced a total of 1,249 goals at a rate of 1.9 per match.

Postecoglou's Celtic team were his most successful scorers and averaged 2.5 goals a game, while Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos scored at a rate of almost twice a game under his stewardship.

The Australian's Tottenham side averaged 1.79 goals per match in all competitions during his two seasons at the club, which lies just below his career average.

By comparison, Nuno Espirito Santo's Nottingham Forest scored 106 times in 73 games at a rate of 1.45 goals per fixture. The Portuguese averages 1.47 goals per game across his managerial career - and that figure is enhanced by fruitful spells in charge of Porto and Al-Ittihad. It certainly reflects his more pragmatic nature.

Whether Postecoglou will completely change Forest's style in the coming weeks is so far unclear, but one thing we can expect is his side to score more goals.

New Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou may bring former Tottenham backroom staff members Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo to the City Ground. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Ange Postecoglou inherits solid foundations at Nottingham Forest, but has big shoes to fill at the City Ground.

The former Tottenham boss has been available after leaving the north London club at the end of last season, following a Europa League win which was juxtaposed by a wretched league season as Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League.

But now the Australian's appointment has been confirmed - and it was only a matter of time after he was seen arriving at the club's training ground on Tuesday - he will need to win over a sceptical fanbase who adored Nuno Espirito Santo for what he delivered during his 21-month spell.

There was a real sense of unity under Nuno, even if that did appear to crumble over the summer and through his subsequent statements criticising the club's slow transfer policy.

But he did bring European football back to the City Ground for the first time in 30 years, building on the foundations predecessor Steve Cooper laid by leading the Reds back to the Premier League in 2022.

Nuno's departure has naturally been met with sadness from supporters, so Postecoglou will have to win them over quickly.

There is no doubt, despite Nuno's complaints, that Forest strengthened this summer. The club spent £180m and broke their transfer record.

Omari Hutchinson's £37.5m move from Ipswich Town was a club record, while James McAtee, Arnaud Kalimuendo, Dilane Bakwa all joined in deals worth about £30m.

Forest's success was built on Nuno's counter-attacking style, so Postecoglou's high-press and possession-based method will be a real change.

Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo have excelled under Nuno but, without additional cover and the chances of being exposed more often, will they fit a new style?

Postecoglou took a more pragmatic approach in Tottenham's Europa League semi-final second-leg win at Bodo/Glimt in May, opting for safety first as Spurs threw a blanket on the game to ensure they progressed.

So the Australian can change when necessary, but there wasn't much evidence of that in the Premier League last season, when Tottenham lost 22 of their 38 games, finishing 27 points behind Forest.

McAtee, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi all like to have the ball, and Ola Aina and Neco Williams like to get up from full-back. So there are weapons available to Postecoglou, but there could be chinks in the armour going forward.